Page:Gissing - Workers in the Dawn, vol. I, 1880.djvu/23

Rh whole appearance, lighted by the gleam from the tallow dip, was anything but reassuring. She started slightly when she perceived the elegant figure of the clergyman, and her manner at once became more respectful.

“Mr. Golding’s room’s on the next floor, sir. I doubt you’ll find him in a bad way.”

“Is he seriously ill?”

“Well, sir, my ‘usband thinks him so bad as he’s sent off our Jinny to the parish doctor; but she ain’t come back yet. We’ve done what we could for him. I’m sure sir; but, you see, being that he was so fond of liquor like, and being that he owes us near on a month’s rent a'ready, sir, you see it warn’t to be expected as we could do as much as we might a’ done if he’d been a better lodger, you see, sir. If anythink ‘appens to him, sir (which, and I’m sure. I ‘ope as it won’t), d’ye think, sir, he’as any friends as wouldn’t like to see poor people suffer by him, and as ‘ud pay his back nnt, and—”

It was impossible to say how long the woman would have gone on in this manner, for the appearance of the stranger seemed to work strongly upon her, and the fire of greed flashed from her green eyes; but the latter cut her short in the midst of her speech and, with a hurried word or two, stepped quickly up to the next story.

The door stood slightly ajar, and feeble rays of light made their way on to the